South Asia has experienced a long
period of robust economic growth,
averaging 6% a year over the past
20 years. This strong growth has
translated into declining poverty
and impressive improvements in
human development. Read More »

Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change

Bangladesh

Bangladesh
Climate Change Resilience Fund
(BCCRF)
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world facing the potential impacts of climate change. To address this challenge, Bangladesh launched its first Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) in 2009 to build a medium-term to long-term program for enhancing resilience to climate shocks and facilitating low carbon and sustainable growth.

India

Bihar Kosi
Flood Recovery
Project
On August 18, 2008, the Kosi river burst through its eastern embankment 11 km upstream of the Kosi Barrage in Nepal, 8 km north of the Indian border. This created major flooding in Nepal and Bihar with about 3.3 million people affected in Bihar alone. The Kosi floods were subsequently declared a national calamity by the Government of India.

Himachal Pradesh Development Policy Loan
In September 2012, the World Bank approved a US $100 million Development Policy Loan (DPL) for the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP), India to support its transformation to green development. The second tranche of this programmatic series is now in preparation. That preparation included the South-South Exchange Program, designed so that participants could learn from successful experiences in the “Global South,” in this case, Mexico.

National
Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project
(I)
India is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, particularly cyclones, floods, earthquakes, landslides, etc. Approximately 5,700 km of the total 7,500 km of coastline is exposed to severe cyclones, and an estimated 40% of the total population lives within 100 km of the coast.

Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry Coastal Disaster Risk
Reduction
Project
In the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004, the World Bank supported the project “India - Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Project (ETRP)” for Tamil Nadu and the UT of Puducherry. The objective of the ETRP was to revive livelihoods and promote recovery in Tsunami affected areas.

Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project
In the northern state of Uttarakhand in India, the annual monsoon arrived two weeks earlier than expected in June 2013. Cloud bursts and heavy rainfall – measuring 440% higher than average – hit several parts of the higher reaches of the Himalayan Mountain Range.

Nepal

Building
Resilience to Climate-Related
Hazards Project
(BRCH)
Nepal is prone to a range of hydro-meteorological hazards such as floods and droughts, the frequency and intensity of which is expected to increase with climate change. The poorer sections of the country, women and rural populations are typically the worst affected and have the least capacity to deal with such risks. A well-functioning hydrometeorological network, forecasting and early warning system is crucial for strengthening resilience to such risks.

Open Cities Kathmandu: Harnessing Citizen Knowledge and the Power of
Open Data for ResilienceOpen Cities Kathmandu is a project in Nepal supported by the Global Facility for Disaster
Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank. It aims at supporting evidence-based,
innovative solutions to disaster and urban issues by creating data that is open and accessible to
the public. Open data and systems promote transparency and accountability. In addition, open
systems enable the participation of a wide range of actors in the challenge of building resilience
in urbanization processes. It can do so by empowering both decision-makers and everyday
citizens with better information and planning tools.

Pakistan

Balochistan
Disaster Management
Project
The Province of Balochistan has experienced several significant natural disasters over the past ten years. Most recently, the 2010, 2011 and 2012 floods have had a major impact, with damages and losses of US $620 million, or 6 percent of provincial GDP. Following the enactment in April 2010 of the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the resulting devolution of a number of federal functions to the provincial governments, the provinces have been given disaster management responsibilities within the overall national framework.